


Virgin here, no, Virgin there, no, maybe, Virgin over there...?

by Merlioske



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Arthur is Not, Balance hanging by a thread, Camelot in Peril Again, Canon Era, First Time, Jealous Arthur, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Merlioske-friendly, Pining Merlin, Sex, Virgin Merlin, Virgins to the rescue!, babies in love, but he's subtle about it, but maybe not the kind of Virgins you're thinking of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:20:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27358666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlioske/pseuds/Merlioske
Summary: Camelot is on the Brink of Peril. Again.Merlin attempts to save it. Again. After all, all that's needed is for a virgin to bleed a little. No big Deal, right?Not that Arthur is going to allow so much as one /drop/ of Merlin's blood to spill! Not to mention, Merlin? /His/ Merlin? A Virgin? What is this nonsense even! And why does it keep... bugging him. The whole Merlin's Virginity Thing?OrMerlin is Tired, Arthur is Confuzzled and Virgin does not Equal Virgin, as it turns out.
Relationships: Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Leon/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 413





	Virgin here, no, Virgin there, no, maybe, Virgin over there...?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aoigensou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aoigensou/gifts).



> dear [aoigensou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aoigensou/pseuds/aoigensou), you did a prompt on discord and i sorta screenshotted it and then i sorta undug it from my folder yesterday and thus... this happened. i hope you like even if i did go a bit sideways from the original prompt. <3  
> ~  
> and, of course, thank you to [Pelydryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pelydryn/pseuds/Pelydryn) for the beta! <333

~ **Background** ~

*Uther croaked. Prematurely. Whoops? Anywho.

*Arthur became King far earlier than ~Planned~

*After thwarting yet another magical attempt at Arthur’s life, Merlin was Officially DoneTM and came out to Arthur.... At least about his magic.

*After having a solid Pout, Arthur lifted the ban and made Merlin his Court Sorcerer.

*Lancelot is alive because I love a happy Gwen.

*Morgana is Good because she’s Queen amongst Women.

~x~

Merlin was packing. The ride to the glade would take him at least a couple of days, then a few hours of preparation… then the ritual and a couple of days back. That was, if all went according to plan. Merlin huffed. It had to go to plan. Arthur would  _ not _ be pleased if it didn’t. Speaking of …

“What  _ are _ you doing, do you think?!?”

As if on cue, the doors to Merlin’s tower burst open, and a heaving King of Camelot slammed through, kicking said door closed behind him.

Merlin rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide the huff he let out. “I’m packing, as you very well can see,  _ sire _ .”

Arthur scoffed, crossed the room and turned Merlin’s satchel over, making all his packed essentials spill out on the bed. Merlin turned an unimpressed eyebrow at his King.

“Really, Arthur?”

The King at least had enough decency to blush. A little. “You’re not going. I won’t allow it. Not to mention, there’s  _ no _ way your blood would even work, I mean---” He trailed off and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Merlin rolled his eyes and began calmly packing his bag. Again. “Yes, it will. ‘ _ Virgin blood spilled on ground sacred, restores the balance that’s been lost, _ ’,” he quoted verbatim with a shrug, and Arthur scowled again.

“Look, even if it  _ would _ work, which I’m still doubtful of, mind, there’s no way I’d ever let  _ you _ to---”

“Oh do shut up, Arthur.”

“I am the---!”

“ **Enough!** ” Merlin’s voice reverberated through the chambers, and Arthur’s mouth clicked shut with a loud snap. “Enter, Mordred.”

Arthur pouted, as he usually did, whenever he caught Merlin and Mordred at the mindspeak. Or, rather, wherever he caught  _ anyone _ with Merlin at the mindspeak. The only guess Merlin had was Arthur being jealous at being unable to pester Merlin at the mindspeak himself. He wondered how the King would react if he were to find out he actually  _ could _ talk to Merlin that way… Merlin shook the ponderings off and turned to the door, where Mordred was leading an old crone in with a hand helpfully on her elbow.

“Ah, your majesty, I do beg your pardon, I did not know…”

Arthur waved him off. “All’s well, Sir Mordred. What brings you to our Court Sorcerer at this late an hour?” 

The crone shuffled over to Merlin and grasped his hand in her wrinkled one. 

"Ah, yes, Old Gruidan had something she had to tell Emrys, Sire. She said it was too important to wait."

Merlin helped the crone to a chair and offered her some tea, which she accepted gratefully. 

"You cannot go, lord Emrys," she began sipping her tea. 

"He's not. As if I'd ---"

"Quiet, Arthur. Why not, Gruidan?" Merlin offered her a smile and merrily ignored the Kingly Pout. 

“Because, my lord, your blood would not work.”

“Hah!” Arthur exclaimed, and Merlin was  _ this  _ close to shutting him up with magic.

“And why is that, Gruidan? Balance restoration requires the sacrifice of virgin blood, does it not?” The old crone nodded, and Merlin’s brow furrowed. “But I’ve never been touched by another.”

There was a choked off sound behind him that Merlin yet again ignored, in favour of listening to Gruidan explain. “That makes your  _ flesh _ virgin, Emrys, not your blood.”

“What’s the difference?” 

This time Merlin was actually glad Arthur had spoken - it would have been a bit embarrassing if  _ he _ had asked the question.

The crone turned her face towards the young King and hummed. “There are many kinds of purities, your majesty. Balance restoration requires virgin blood - meaning that the  _ blood _ must be pure. As in, never used in any rituals or sacrifices before.”

Arthur frowned while Mordred and Merlin straight up gaped.

“Well…” Merlin seemed to be the first to recover. “In that case, yeah, my blood is definitely  _ not _ virgin. This just might pose a problem…”

“Not at all.” Arthur shrugged a shoulder, nonchalant as ever. “We’ll just use my blood instead.”

Merlin snorted. “Yeah, sorry, sire, but that’s not going to happen either.”

“You do remember that  _ I’m  _ the King, right,  _ Mer _ lin? You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Not what I meant, your pratness. I meant your blood won’t work for the same reason mine won’t.”

“I beg your pardon?!” Arthur bristled immediately, and Merlin rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“At this point I’ve lost count the number of times someone attempted to use  _ some _ part of you in this ritual or that.”

Arthur just stood there, flabbergasted while the crone nodded. 

“That makes my blood no good either, then, doesn’t it, Emrys?” Mordred asked, a sad, worried frown on his face.

Merlin offered him a reassuring smile before nodding. “Indeed. Well, I guess there’s not much to do but to call a meeting of the Round Table and try to find us a virgin of the blood.”

~x~

Finding a blood virgin turned out to be easier said than done, as it turned out. After the Council of the Round Table had been called, Merlin, from his seat on Arthur’s right, went through their friends one by one, trying to find someone they could use.

Gaius was out immediately, as an old practitioner of the Old Religion. As were Mordred and Morgana. When Arthur tried to ask Morgana, albeit tentatively, his sister gave him the mother of all snorts as a reply.

“Really, brother dear,  _ High Priestess of the Old Religion _ ? Should’ve clued you in, no?”

Lancelot and Guinevere wore twin sheepish expressions when Merlin turned to them. “We… we were HandFasted in the Old Religion’s way, Merlin, you remember?”

And Merlin  _ did _ remember; Morgana had made quite the affair of it too. And it  _ did _ include the whole blood in milk moment and… Merlin sighed. 

Elyan was out as well - as a child, he had often helped his mother pray to the Old Gods in secret.

Percival was next, and he had only smiled and shook his head without going into too many details.

Merlin exchanged quick looks with Arthur - this was  _ not _ going as planned at all.

Leon, their biggest hope, had coughed when asked, and promptly turned a very lovely shade of pink while Morgana didn’t bother to hide her gleeful smirk.

“I… I’m afraid my blood won’t do as well, sire.”

Arthur sighed the sigh of the long suffering and the weary. “Do I even want to ask?”

Merlin, who had been having  _ quite _ the enlightening mindspeak conversation with Morgana about the previous Beltane shook his head quickly. “No, no you do not. Sire.” 

That brought their number of possibilities to … Merlin stifled a groan, if even someone like  _ Leon _ had participated in… well,  _ that _ kind of a ritual, there was no way,  **no** way---

“Well, I guess it’s up to me then.”

Arthur’s jaw dropped. Merlin wanted to reprimand him, but, considering his jaw was just as dropped… well.

Gwaine bit another huge chunk of his apple, chewed through it merrily and winked at the frozen table. “So, where is it I need to go and bleed all over?” 

In the following chaos, Merlin tuned out all the disbelieving shouts from everyone else and caught Gwaine’s eye. 

_ How? _

Gwaine grinned at him.  _ I’ve just been lucky that way i guess~ _

Merlin scoffed. _ Yeah right. But seriously, Gwaine, you’re sure about this? We could keep looking. _

Gwaine’s grin softened into a smile.  _ I’m sure, Merls. Just. Point me in the right direction and tell me when to stop bleeding. _

Merlin snorted. Arthur turned to him with a raised eyebrow, but Merlin waved him off.

Soon enough, the chaos subsided, and a Plan could be formed. Gwaine would leave the next morning, accompanied by Merlin, who was to conduct the actual ritual part of the ritual; and, by Arthur. Merlin tried to make the King stay, he truly did. But Arthur, being Arthur, went all, ‘But if I don’t go, how _ ever _ will I be sure you don’t do something monumentally stupid and get all sacrificed over something else, well,  _ Mer _ lin?’

So Merlin sighed and let it go.

~x~

Merlin was packing. Again. There was a knock on his door. It sounded… subdued. Merlin frowned. His eyes blinked gold, and the door opened, letting a very… hesitant looking King of Camelot in.

“Your Majesty?” Merlin placed the last folded tunic down and turned to watch his King’s approach. "Is something a matter?"

Arthur hummed noncommittally and plopped down on a chair by the fire. Merlin's eyebrow rose. He walked over to his King and sat down on the chair beside him. 

"Sire?" When no response came, Merlin bit his lip before reaching a hesitant hand over and placing it on Arthur's knee. 

"Arthur?"

"Why?" The King inquired quietly, and Merlin blinked.

“Why what?” he asked, baffled beyond belief.

“Why are you still… That is to say, why haven’t you… I mean…” he huffed.

Merlin bit his lip, removing his hand from Arthur’s knee. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Your Majesty.”

Arthur flinched as if slapped, and Merlin felt bad. It was unlikely Arthur was here to tease him or make fun of him, considering his own hesitant approach. So, making a split-second decision, Merlin shrugged and crossed his arms across his chest before looking into the flames and opening his mouth again. “It’s just that I’ve been busy. Too busy.”

Arthur snorted. “Too busy for sex?”

Merlin shrugged again. “Between Gaius and saving your royal backside - yes. It’s exhausting work, keeping you alive. And meaningless encounters don’t interest me. If I  _ do _ get… the urge, which, by the way, I am almost always too damn tired to address anyway, my hand does me just fine.”

Arthur still didn’t look too pleased with his response. “But don’t you… I don’t know, want to?”

Merlin blinked. “Sex?” He scoffed. “It’s just sex, Arthur, in all honesty, I don’t exactly understand what all the fuss is about.”

That seemed to perk the King right up. “That’s because you’ve never had it! Sex, Merlin, is…”

Merlin stood abruptly, interrupting whatever it was that Arthur was trying to say. “It’s late and I’ve not yet packed and we leave early. And, no offense, your majesty, but I really,  _ truly _ do not care one lick about your sexual escapades. Now if you’ll excuse me.” 

The door whooshed open at that and Arthur, gaping and sputtering a bit, found himself being pushed outside the door by Merlin’s magic.

“Mer---” The door closed right in his face. Not quite a slam, but even Arthur, thick as he usually was, couldn’t miss a hint as big as that.

With a frown and a Very Royal Pout, the King of Camelot turned on a heel and went back to his chambers. Merlin was right about one thing at least - they did have an early morning.

~x~

The Quest to Return the Balance went actually far too easily, as far as Quests were concerned. The three of them rode at a leisure pace, their journey lasting a couple of days. They arrived at a glade in the middle of the woods. Merlin seemed to be vibrating in his skin as soon as they entered, which was how they  _ knew _ they found the Spot. Then Merlin mixed up some herbs, slathered a half-naked Gwaine in some oils and rubbed some herbs all over his skin while mumbling under his breath. Arthur stood a while off, by the horses, arms crossed and a scowl firmly in place as he watched. Gwaine winked at him. Merlin whacked Gwaine over the head for his trouble without so much as lifting his head from where he was slathering Gwaine’s side in herbal oils. Arthur felt marginally better after that.

Once Gwaine was sufficiently slathered, Merlin’s voice rose in cadence and the clearing glowed in an ethereal light, making Merlin himself shine. He looked devastatingly beautiful like this, spinning magic, bathing in magic,  _ being _ magic. Arthur forgot how to breathe for a while. When he came out of his trance, Gwaine’s arm was dripping crimson, as was a dagger in Merlin’s hands. The dagger  _ Arthur _ had given him, the King noted, preening just a bit.

And then it was done. The balance restored. Gwaine seemed paler, but generally not too much worse for wear, swearing up and down that a few pints would make him right as rain. 

Merlin shoved a potion down his throat instead, ignoring Gwaine’s sputtering curses. Arthur sympathised - Merlin learned his potion making from Gaius and, somehow, had perfected the art further, making his own concoctions taste even fouler than his mentor’s. 

Gwain wa’s still sputtering when they saddled up and turned their horses homeward.

~x~

It was none of Arthur’s business. It was not. It was just that… He couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. Merlin and… sex. And Merlin  _ having _ sex. With…  _ people _ . Though that particular thought track always ended in Arthur breaking things in rage for some reason.

He couldn’t take it for much longer. He simply couldn’t. 

Gwen, when consulted, just sighed and shook her head at him sadly.

Morgana, on the other hand, had cackled so hard there were tears streaming down her face by the time Arthur had fled Leon’s chambers with a slammed door behind him. (He  _ had _ gone in to talk to Leon, but Morgana was there for  _ some _ reason and...well.)

Lancelot was no help at all, either, replicating his wife’s reaction with uncanny accuracy.

Arthur had skipped Gwaine. Just on principle. 

Elyan and Percival seemed of the opinion he should just talk to Merlin.

Arthur was  _ this _ close to tearing his damn hair out. What did they think he had  **tried** to do, only to get shoved out from the Court Sorcerer’s rooms?

Still. This was getting him nowhere. 

Just when he was just about ready to give up, he stumbled upon a conversation. Granted, eavesdropping was wrong, but he  _ was _ the King so, technically, everything in the kingdom was,  _ technically, _ his so… Arthur leaned in closer to the door of the barn and tried to breathe softly.

“...more insufferable lately I swear.”

Was that Merlin? Arthur moved in just a bit closer.

“Well I just don’t get what the big deal is, I mean, oh for goddesses’ sake, Mordred, would it kill you to talk aloud?”

Arthur nodded gratefully at that, but, as soon as he heard what Mordred was saying, he rather wished he hadn’t.

“Maybe he’s just… you know. Jealous or something.”

Arthur sputtered - him? Jealous? He was the bloody King of Camelot! He did not  _ do _ jealous! He heard Merlin snort.

“Right, of course he is. Who of, pray tell,  _ Sir _ Mordred. Is it not the point of this entire situation that there’s no one to be jealous  _ of _ ?”

_ Hah, _ Arthur thought gleefully,  _ I’m  _ **_not_ ** _ the only one whose title he makes sound like...that. _

Mordred groaned. “How am I supposed to know, Emrys? Maybe he’s jealous of whoever you  _ do _ end up choosing.”

That stopped Arthur cold. Was he…? Was that what this nagging feeling of rushing was? Was it him, wanting to… to what, to be Merlin’s … first? No, he shook himself off. Not first. His  _ only. _

Arthur hummed. Gave himself a moment to think it through. Then he turned on his heel and left for the tower of his Court Sorcerer.

~x~

"Arthur." Merlin sounded surprised. Which was strange, considering his wards should have warned him someone was inside his chambers. Maybe they did. Maybe he just wasn't expecting Arthur to come quite this late. "What… why are you here?"

The King hummed. He was sitting on the same chair as the last time he was here. He motioned for Merlin to join him and waited until the warlock had before speaking. 

"It has come to my attention that I am in love with you.”

Merlin’s jaw dropped. “Come again.”

Arthur pressed on, ignoring his warlock’s indignant flailing about. “That’s why it bothered me so. That’s why I’ve been this… invested.”

“In what, exactly?” Merlin managed, glad beyond words that Arthur kept his gaze focused on the fire and not on the furnace that was Merlin’s face.

“In your… Ach, private life, shall we say.”

Merlin blinked. Opened his mouth to speak. Closed it and blinked again. “I---”

“Merlin. I love you,” the King of bloody Camelot said, cool as can be. 

Merlin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his magic flow. He didn’t open his eyes until the sputtering King was deposited softly outside his chambers, the door once again closed in his face.

Merlin sat watching the fire burn low in his fireplace. Watched it until it died down completely. Then took a deep breath and let it out slowly before blinking and… And then he was standing in the dimly lit chambers of his King.

“You could have just said you weren’t interested, you know. There really was no need to toss me out. Again,” came quiet words from somewhere near the window.

“How did you know I was here?” Merlin’s voice was just as quiet as his King’s.

Arthur snorted. “Please, your magic is…” he sighed. “Does it matter? What do you want, Merlin? It’s rather late and I was about to go to bed.”

Merlin shook his head, walking over slowly. “No, you weren’t.”

Moonlight was shining over the wry smile that pulled on Arthur’s lips. “No, I wasn’t.”

“How did you know I was here?” Merlin asked again, stopping in front of him.

Arthur kept his gaze firmly fixed somewhere over Merlin’s shoulder when he shook his head, shrugged and let out a huff. “I felt you getting in.”

Merlin’s breath shuddered out of him. “You felt my magic.”

Arthur shrugged again.

“How long have you been able to do that?” Merlin asked, barely above a whisper. “How long have you been able to feel my magic?”

Arthur hummed. “After I realized what it was I was actually feeling?” His eyes finally met Merlin’s own before he swallowed, loud and nervous. “Always.” Merlin gasped. “I had no idea at first, it was just… Sort of,  _ there _ . That something. Whenever you were there, whenever there was  _ something _ while we were on a patrol or on a Quest or… or during a tournament or something. There was always that something about you, wasn’t there,  _ Mer _ lin…” He finished, not exactly a question, no. Just, stating a fact.

It was Merlin’s turn to swallow now. “So. You could always feel my magic, but you only realised you, what, loved me? When? Tonight?” Arthur’s inability to hide his flinch was answer enough. “And how long has that been happening, then?”

“Me loving you?”

Merlin nodded tersely, and Arthur sighed. He leaned on the windowsill, crossing his arms and gave Merlin a self-deprecating little smile.

“What do you want me to say,  _ Mer _ lin?”

Merlin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest too. “I don’t know,  _ Ar _ thur, how about the truth?”

Arthur snorted. “Truth is, I’m not sure. I tried to pinpoint the moment it happened as I was waiting for you to come back tonight and… I couldn't. Best I could figure was that I was sort of…” He took a deep breath. “Sort of always in love with you.”

Merlin looked at him. And looked at him. Arthur opened his mouth to say… something, anything else, but then he didn’t need to because Merlin was kissing him and kissing him and… 

“Are you sure about this?” Arthur gasped out when they collapsed onto the bed together. 

Merlin grinned, his eyes bleeding gold and making the laces of their breeches untie. “Oh I am so sure, Sire,” he purred, shoving Arthur’s breeches down his legs. “I am  _ so _ done with this whole virginity business.”

Arthur laughed, pulled up Merlin’s tunic and tossed it over his shoulder, leaning in to claim Merlin’s lips again. He kissed him, hands running over his lean torso, fingers pinching his nipples until they pebbled and rolling his hips as soon as the last of their clothing dropped off the bed.

Merlin moaned into his mouth, arching his back, his legs falling open in an invitation Arthur was too weak and too unwilling to resist.

He rested in between Merlin’s thighs, slotting their cocks together and continuously rolling his hips, seeking friction. Merlin mewled, squirming beneath his King, and pulled out of the kiss, to paw at Arthur’s wrist. As Arthur watched, Merlin’s eyes bled gold again, and then his fingers were wet and slick and Merlin’s grin was so bright…

Arthur lowered his hand, rubbed slow circles over Merlin’s tight opening before pressing in slowly. Merlin’s breath shuddered out of him and his eyelids fluttered as he hummed, made himself relax and accept Arthur’s fingers.

Arthur felt himself tremble - this was… this was Merlin,  _ his  _ Merlin and he couldn’t just… this had to be---

Merlin cupped his cheeks, a gentle smile on his face, and then he kissed him. Soft and sweet and so loving, Arthur forgot how to breathe for a moment.

He curled his fingers inside Merlin, two now, and Merlin keened, a broken, lovely sound.

“Ar-  _ Ar _ thur…  _ please--- _ ” he breathed and Arthur pulled his fingers out, slicking up his cock and grabbing a pillow all in the next moment. He pushed the pillow under Merlin’s hips, ran his hands soothingly over his inner thighs.

“Ready, love?” he whispered, and Merlin looked at him, his lips parted, already looking so  _ so _ wrecked and nodded.

Arthur pushed in, going slow, but steady, right until he was all in, nice and deep.

Merlin gasped, his fingers digging into Arthur’s back. “I feel you, oh,  _ Ar _ thur, I can  _ feel _ you, I---”

And then Arthur moved because he couldn’t  _ not _ anymore and Merlin was speechless, only sounds falling from his lips between pants and moans and, gods, such pretty sounds. Arthur wanted to keep hearing them forever. So he moved, and Merlin moved with him, keeping pace, keeping in perfect counterpoint, perfect balance. Arthur smiled. Smiled and leaned in and kissed him and Merlin kissed him back.

~x~

Later when they were lying beneath Arthur’s covers, Merlin curled on Arthur’s chest and Arthur petting his hair lightly Merlin hummed. “Mmm… I sorta get the whole ‘fuss bit’ now.”

Arthur chuckled. “Do you now?”

“Mmm…the fuss...When it’s the right person… it’s worth it, then.”

Arthur smiled and pulled him closer.

~x~

**Author's Note:**

> comments are better than chocolate cake, people, and i speak as a hopeless chocolate addict ~  
> xoxoxo


End file.
